Prescription dispensing system

ABSTRACT

A prescription dispensing system having a dispensing station for holding an inventory of prescription medications, a secure internet connection to the dispensing station for access by a potential prescription medication recipient, by healthcare personnel in a physician office and by pharmacy personnel at the pharmacy distribution center in a remote location, at least two webcams for visual and auditory communication between the location of the dispensing station and the pharmacy personnel via the internet to allow identification of the correct medication, identification and communication with the correct potential prescription medication recipient, and visual validation and recording of all documentation from the physician&#39;s office or potential prescription medication recipient, and a biometric reader disposed at the dispensing station for identifying a potential prescription medication recipient. The system may include various enhancements to allow accurate dispensing of the proper medication and direct secure internet communication between the pharmacist and the authorized recipient of the medication.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to systems for dispensing prescriptiondrugs, and more particularly to such systems that are usable inphysicians' offices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Obtaining the proper medication is frequently a time-consuming,inefficient, and expensive process. The physician diagnoses an ailment,frequently at the physician's office, and the often-sick patient is thenrequired to carry a handwritten, sometimes illegible, paper prescriptionto an often-distant grocery store, discount store or chain pharmacy tohave it filled. Each of these steps underutilizes expensiveprofessionals due to inefficient operations and administration.

Attempts to simplify this process are often stymied, however, by thenecessary regulation of the dispensing of prescription medications.State and federal law requires the involvement of a registeredpharmacist before the medication is provided to the patient (or otherperson retrieving the medication on behalf of the patient). Mostphysician's offices do not have a pharmacist at hand, so the trip to apharmacy of some sort to obtain the actual medication has heretoforebeen necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the various objects of the present invention may be noted theprovision of a prescription dispensing system that makes mostmedications immediately available at the physician's office.

Another object is the provision of such a system that complies with allrelevant laws and regulations concerning the dispensing of prescriptionmedications.

A third object is the provision of such a system that multiplies theeffectiveness of pharmacists.

A fourth object is the provision of such a system that allows apharmacist to verify the medication being dispensed from a plurality ofdifferent locations.

A fifth object is the provision of such a system that identifies,selects and counts the correct medication, identifies the correctpatient, offers drug information to the patient, and providespharmacist/patient interaction at a plurality of different locations.

A sixth object is the provision of such a system that notifies thepharmacist of potential drug interactions based upon the patient'srecord.

A seventh object is the provision of such a system which uses biometricsto identify the patient or authorized medication recipients.

An eighth object is the provision of such a system which places themedication in a properly labeled vial before dispensing to the patientor authorized medication recipient.

A ninth object is the provision of such a system which allows thepharmacist to verify the accuracy of the label.

A tenth object is the provision of such a system which provides audioand visual communication between the pharmacist and the patient orauthorized medication recipient.

An eleventh object is the provision of such a system which allows thepatient or authorized medication recipient to pay for the medication atthe physician's office.

A twelfth object is the provision of such a system which facilitates therefilling of prescriptions at physician's offices.

A thirteenth object is the provision of such a system that promotesimproved health treatment, since treatment can start immediately underphysician supervision.

A fourteenth object is the provision of such a system that providesimproved communications between the physician personnel, pharmacypersonnel, and the patient, thereby reducing the chance for incorrect orinappropriate prescriptions.

A fifteenth object is the provision of such a system that providesimproved monitoring of refills by the physician.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointedout hereinafter.

Briefly, the prescription dispensing system of the present inventionincludes a dispensing station for holding an inventory of prescriptionmedications, a secure internet connection to the dispensing station foraccess by a potential prescription medication recipient, by healthcarepersonnel in a physician office and by pharmacy personnel at thepharmacy distribution center in a remote location, at least two webcamsfor visual and auditory communication between the location of thedispensing station and the pharmacy personnel via the internet to allowidentification of the correct medication, identification andcommunication with the correct potential prescription medicationrecipient, and visual validation and recording of all documentation fromthe physician's office or potential prescription medication recipient,and a biometric reader disposed at the dispensing station foridentifying a potential prescription medication recipient, saidbiometric reader being connected via the secure internet connection tothe remote location. If desired, the system can include numerous otherfeatures such as at least three webcams, disposed in the physicianoffice, as well as inside and outside the dispensing station, furtherincluding a microphone, monitor and speaker outside the dispensingstation, holding prescription medications in inventory in the dispensingstation in barcoded containers specific to each medication, barcodedmodules containing an updateable, specified combination of medicationcontainers for said dispensing station's inventory, means for comparingthe image of dispensed medication with a database of correct images forsaid medications, means for comparing the medication prescribed with apatient prescription record as entered by healthcare personnel in thephysician's office or by pharmacy personnel at the pharmacy distributioncenter, apparatus for counting out the prescribed medication,transferring said medication to the vial, applying a label to the vial,and transferring the visually inspected container to the prescriptionmedication recipient, under visual monitoring by the pharmacy personnelvia one of said webcams, a magnetic card reader disposed at thedispensing station for reading cards selected from the group consistingof smart cards, payment cards, and third-party reimbursement cards, awebcam, microphone, barcode reader, computer and monitor for thepharmacy personnel at the remote location for allowing visual andbarcode verification of all barcoded containers, visual verification ofthe medication, container and labeling, and visual and verbalverification of the patient/customer, physician and writtendocumentation, and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the operation of the system of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of various components of the system of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the dispensing of medication by the system ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the reloading of medication in a dispensing stationused in the system of the present invention.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning to the drawings, a schematic of the present system (FIG. 1)includes a dispensing station 11 for holding an inventory ofprescription medications. The dispensing station is preferably disposedin a physician's office or similar convenient location. The dispensingstation 11 is connected via a secure internet connection 12 to apharmacist (pharmacy personnel) at a remote location 13 (called apharmacy distribution center or PDC). It should be realized that thepharmacy distribution center may or may not also be a location at whichprescription medication are stored prior to being supplied to dispensingstation 11 (or any of a number of additional dispensing stations notshown). The secure internet connection provides access not only betweenthe patient (or authorized medication recipient) and the pharmacist, butalso between those parties and the physician office personnel such asthe physician, nurses, and record keepers. For example, the physicianoffice secretary (or other personnel at the physician office) may enterthe prescription in a browser for submission to the PDC. In FIG. 1,various steps performed in connection with the present invention areshown in a box, and the steps and components usually performed orlocated in the physician's office are surrounded by dashed lines. Forexample, the dispensing station 11, shown in “MedBox ADR” in FIG. 1, islocated in the physician's office and indicated by the enclosed box, andis reloaded as needed by just-in-time inventory control. Similarly, FIG.1 shows that the the office secretary in the physician's office canenter the prescription in a browser using the secure internetconnection. The medication for that prescription is visually verified,approved and dispensed by the MedBox ADR 111 and by MedBox PDCpharmacist at location 13. The patient may ask question via the browserinterface and the secure internet connection 12, and accepts theprescription.

The system of the present invention also includes at least two webcams15, 17 (see FIG. 2) for visual and auditory communication between thelocation of the dispensing station 11 and the pharmacy personnel at PDC13 via the internet to allow identification of the correct medication,identification and communication with the correct potential prescriptionmedication recipient, and visual validation and recording of alldocumentation from the physician's office or potential prescriptionmedication recipient. As is explained below, it is preferred that thesystem include two additional webcams 15A and 17A. In the four webcamsystem, two webcams 15, 15A are disposed at the PDC, and two (17, 17A)are disposed at dispensing station 11. These allow the pharmacist toreview the medication prior to dispensing, allow the pharmacist tovisually identify the patient or authorized medication recipient, andallow the pharmacist and patient or authorized recipient toteleconference concerning the medication.

The system also includes a biometric reader 19 disposed at thedispensing station for identifying a potential prescription medicationrecipient. The biometric reader is preferably connected via the secureinternet connection to the PDC 13.

The dispensing station 11 is preloaded with an inventory of medicationthat matches a profile of usually dispensed medications for that office.The actual dispensing of medication requires two inputs, however. Thefirst, from the healthcare personnel in the physician office representsan amount and type of medication for a patient. The second, from thepharmacist at the PDC 13 is an authorization signal to dispense a vialof medication. Prior to providing the authorization signal (via thesecure internet connection, for example), the pharmacist uses one of thewebcams to obtain visual verification of the amount and type ofmedication inserted into the vial prior to authorization to dispense.

Dispensing station 11 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) includes a tube holder 21containing a plurality of medication tubes 23 (only one of which isshown in FIGS. 3 and 4). An externally threaded shaft 25 under softwarecontrol is used to raise the desired medication tube 23 to the positionshown in FIG. 4. A drive system including an internally threaded shaft27 is then used to push the medical tablets up at a metered rate andamount as indicated at 29. A vial holder 31 is used to hold vial 33 in aposition for receiving the medication, one tablet at a time. Forexample, holder 31 may hold vial 33 vertically above the medication asit is forced upwardly by threaded shaft 27. Preferably the vial 33 issealed to the medication tube 23 during the transfer process to providea closed system. Once the desired amount is dispensed into vial 33,holder 31 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 4 so that a vial top 37may be screwed onto the vial by another threaded shaft 39. For thispurpose, the vial may be internally threaded and the top 37 may have aslot formed therein. Of course, any number of different mechanisms maybe used to dispense the desired amount of medication into the vial andany number of different attachment mechanisms may be used to secure thetop 37 to vial 33. Such dispensing and attachment mechanisms arewell-known in the art. Movement of the medication horizontally,vertically, or a combination thereof are all within the scope of thepresent invention.

It is preferred that one of webcams 17, 17A is used to allow thepharmacist to visually observe the transfer of the medication to vial33, and to visually verify the identity of the medical being dispensed.Preferably a barcode reader 41 (FIG. 2) is also present at thedispensing station 11. Each medication tube 25 may be marked with abarcode, if desired, to identify the medication contained therein.Barcode reader 41 then allows the system to verify that the medicationbeing dispensed is the same as the medication being prescribed. Thedispensing station has a label printing and applying mechanism 43associated therewith to print and apply a label to vial 33. Such labelcontains all the information required by the relevant state pharmacyauthority, including the type and amount of medication inserted into thevial.

In those cases where the medication is liquid, the liquid medication maybe stored in the dispensing station in predetermined units, or it may bestored in syringes connected by suitable tubing for dispensing of adesired amount into a container, as prescribed by the physician.

It should be appreciated that the present system allows a small numberof pharmacists at PDC 13 to handle the dispensing of medication from alarge number of dispensing stations 11 disposed at a potentially equallylarge number of different locations. The pharmacist or pharmacists atPDC 13 have access to the patient medication record corresponding to aprescription to be dispensed and having access to the webcams to verifythe type and amount of medication dispensed, for each prescription. Itis preferred that healthcare personnel at the physician's office supplybiometric information to the dispensing station corresponding to thepotential prescription medication recipient (patient or other authorizedrecipient) and that the biometric reader 19 provide this information tothe system and/or to the dispensing pharmacist for verification. Such abiometric reader could be a fingerprint reader, for example.

Turning to FIG. 5, there is illustrated the loading of the medicationsfor a particular dispensing station 11. The medications fitting theprofile for a particular physician's office are loaded into a module 51at PDC 13 (or at some other suitable location). More specifically, thepharmacy technician checks the inventory for each dispensing station 11,and from that information loads the medication tubes for module 51 forthat specific dispensing station. It is preferred that these modules 51are bar-coded (as at 52) to ensure that the proper medication isprovided to the proper location. At the physical location of thatspecific dispensing station 11, the refilling module 51 is placedadjacent the medication tube holder 21 corresponding to that location(as shown in the rightmost portion of FIG. 5). The bar code match isverified. The medication tubes 53 from the refilling module are thenmoved into holder 21 by a suitable tool 55 and the preexistingmedication tubes 23 are removed. After this operation is completed,dispensing station again contains the kind and amount of medication thatfits the profile for that location.

As described above, the present system allows for direct communication(via the internet) between the patient (or authorized medicationrecipient), the pharmacist, and the healthcare personnel at thephysician's office. This communication is accomplished via the webcams,microphones, speakers and monitors, via the secure internet connection.It allows the healthcare personnel at the physician's office tointroduce the patient (or medication recipient) to the pharmacist,allows the pharmacist to identify the person at the dispensing station11, and allows the patient or other authorized medication recipient toask questions (and receive answers) about medication-related issues, allin a confidential manner that satisfies all medical privacyrequirements, such as HIPAA requirements. This pharmacist/patientinteraction is also sufficient to satisfy state board of pharmacyregulations regarding pharmacist counseling and provision of druginformation within the state where the dispensing station is located.

The webcams may also be used to transmit an official copy of the writtenprescription to the pharmacist at PDC 13. (Alternatively, theprescription may be transmitted electronically to the pharmacist bymeans of a web-based form, or via traditional fax or paper forms,completed by healthcare personnel at the physician's office.) Webcamsalso allow the image of dispensed medication to be compared with adatabase of correct images for the prescribed medications to furtherinsure that the correct medication is being dispensed. The system alsoautomatically compares the medication being dispensed with the patientprescription record as entered by healthcare personnel in thephysician's office or by pharmacy personnel at the pharmacy distributioncenter to further prevent error.

Of course, the webcams may also be used to transmit a copy of paymentdocuments to PDC 13, such as copies of credit or debit cards,third-party cards, or forms. Alternatively, dispensing station 11 mayalso have associated therewith a card reader 61 for directly acquiringpayment card information via the secure internet connection.

It is also preferred that the system include a printer 63 associatedwith the dispensing station 11 to provide printed material to thepatient or other authorized medication recipient regarding the dispensedmedication as required by state board of pharmacy regulations within thestate where the dispensing station is located.

From the above it will be seen that the various objects and features ofthe present invention are achieved and other advantageous resultsobtained. The foregoing description of the present invention is by wayof illustration only, and is not to be used in limiting the scope of theinvention in any way.

What is claimed is:
 1. A prescription dispensing system comprising: adispensing station for holding an inventory of prescription medications;a secure internet connection to the dispensing station for access by apotential prescription medication recipient, by healthcare personnel ina physician office and by pharmacy personnel at the pharmacydistribution center in a remote location; at least two webcams forvisual and auditory communication between the location of the dispensingstation and the pharmacy personnel via the internet to allowidentification of the correct medication, identification andcommunication with the correct potential prescription medicationrecipient, and visual validation and recording of all documentation fromthe physician's office or potential prescription medication recipient; abiometric reader disposed at the dispensing station for identifying apotential prescription medication recipient, said biometric reader beingconnected via the secure internet connection to the remote location,wherein the dispensing station is located in a physician office and thedispensing station inventory matches a profile of usually dispensedmedications for said office.
 2. The prescription dispensing system asset forth in claim 1 wherein the dispensing station is responsive to aprescription signal from the healthcare professional in the physicianoffice representing an amount and type of medication for a patient toinsert said amount of medication of the specified type into a vial. 3.The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein thedispensing station dispenses said vial of medication upon receipt of anauthorization signal from the pharmacist at the remote location.
 4. Theprescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 3 wherein one ofthe webcams supplies to the pharmacist a visual verification of theamount and type of medication inserted into said vial prior toauthorization to dispense.
 5. The prescription dispensing system as setforth in claim 2 wherein the dispensing station includes a tubecontaining said medication and a drive system for moving predeterminedamounts of said medication into said vial.
 6. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said drive systemdrives the medication into said vial one unit of medication at a time.7. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 5 whereinthe tube containing said medication is sealed to the vial duringinsertion of the medication from the tube into the vial.
 8. Theprescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 5 wherein the drivesystem is disposed to move the medication horizontal from the tube tothe vial.
 9. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 5wherein the drive system is disposed to move the medication linearlyfrom the tube to the vial.
 10. The prescription dispensing system as setforth in claim 9 wherein the drive system is disposed to move themedication vertically before it is moved linearly from the tube to thevial.
 11. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 5wherein the drive system operates under visual observation by thepharmacist via one of the webcams.
 12. The prescription dispensingsystem as set forth in claim 5 wherein the tube includes a barcode labelidentifying the medication contained therein.
 13. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 12 wherein the dispensingstation includes a barcode reader to insure that the medication beingdisposed corresponds to the medication prescribed.
 14. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the dispensing stationincludes means for providing a state board of pharmacy approved label onthe vial, said label including information concerning the type andamount of medication inserted into the vial and all labelingrequirements of the state within which the prescription dispensingsystem is located.
 15. The prescription dispensing system as set forthin claim 14 wherein the vial includes a flat surface for said label. 16.The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein saiddispensing station includes means for attaching a top to the vial afterthe medication is inserted into the vial.
 17. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 16 wherein the vial is threadedto receive said top.
 18. The prescription dispensing system as set forthin claim 16 wherein said top includes an external slot to facilitatemanual removal thereof to obtain access to the medication.
 19. Theprescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 2 wherein themedication is liquid, said liquid medication being stored in thedispensing station in predetermined units.
 20. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 5 wherein the medication isliquid, and the liquid medication is stored in syringe-like tubesconnected by tubing to the drive system to allow the drive system todeliver the volume of liquid medication as prescribed by the physician.21. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 1 whereinthe remote location is a central pharmacy center, said pharmacist at thecentral pharmacy center having access to the patient medication recordcorresponding to a prescription to be dispensed and having access to thewebcams to verify the type and amount of medication dispensed.
 22. Theprescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 21 wherein thehealthcare professional supplies biometric information to the dispensingstation corresponding to the potential prescription medicationrecipient, said dispensing station including means for comparing saidbiometric information to an output of the biometric reader beforedispensing medication.
 23. The prescription dispensing system as setforth in claim 21 wherein the central pharmacy center has access to aplurality of dispensing stations located at different locations.
 24. Theprescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein thebiometric reader is a fingerprint reader.
 25. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the webcams allowcommunication between the potential prescription medication recipientand the pharmacist at the remote location.
 26. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the healthcarepersonnel introduces the potential prescription medication recipient tothe pharmacist via the secure interne connection, at least one of saidwebcams being usable by the pharmacist to allow identification of theperson at the dispensing station.
 27. The prescription dispensing systemas set forth in claim 26 wherein at some of the webcams, microphone andspeakers allows the potential medication recipient to ask questions andprovide visual images to the pharmacist for medication-related issuesand receive verbal and visual instructions from the pharmacistsufficient to satisfy state board of pharmacy regulations regardingpharmacist counseling and provision of drug information within the statewhere the dispensing station is located.
 28. The prescription dispensingsystem as set forth in claim 26 wherein the prescription is transmittedelectronically by completing a web-based form.
 29. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 26 wherein a webcam is disposedat dispensing station to receive a copy of potential prescriptionmedication recipient documentation for payment, including third-partycards or forms, credit cards or debit cards.
 30. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 26 further including a smartcard reader attached to the dispensing station for receiving paymentcards electronically.
 31. The prescription dispensing system as setforth in claim 30 wherein the payment card is selected from the groupconsisting of third-party payment cards, credit cards, or debit cards.32. The prescription dispensing system at set forth in claim 26 furtherincluding a printing system designed to deliver printed materialregarding the dispensed medication as required by state board ofpharmacy regulations within the state where the dispensing station islocated.
 33. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 1wherein the potential prescription medication recipient is a patient.34. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 1 whereinthe potential prescription medication recipient is an authorizedcaregiver for a patient.
 35. The prescription dispensing system as setforth in claim 34 wherein the healthcare professional authorizes use ofthe dispensing station by the authorized caregiver or patient, saidpharmacist authorizing dispensing of medication from said dispensingstation to said authorized caregiver or patient.
 36. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the transfer ofpatient information by the system satisfies governmental privacyregulations such as HIPAA privacy regulations.
 37. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the prescription is inelectronic format, the system being responsive to receipt of aprescription in electronic format to verify the prescription anddispense the prescribed medication.
 38. The prescription dispensingsystem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the system includes at leastthree webcams, disposed in the physician office, as well as inside andoutside the dispensing station, further including a microphone, monitorand speaker outside the dispensing station.
 39. The prescriptiondispensing system as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least some of theprescription medications held in inventory are contained in barcodedcontainers specific to each medication.
 40. The prescription dispensingsystem as set forth in claim 39 further including barcoded modulescontaining an updateable, specified combination of medication containersfor said dispensing station's inventory.
 41. The prescription dispensingsystem as set forth in claim 1 further including means for comparing theimage of dispensed medication with a database of correct images for saidmedications, and means for comparing the medication prescribed with apatient prescription record as entered by healthcare personnel in thephysician's office or by pharmacy personnel at the pharmacy distributioncenter.
 42. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 41further including apparatus for counting out the prescribed medication,transferring said medication to the vial, applying a label to the vial,and transferring the visually inspected container to the prescriptionmedication recipient, under visual monitoring by the pharmacy personnelvia one of said webcams.
 43. The prescription dispensing system as setforth in claim 1 further including a magnetic card reader disposed atthe dispensing station for reading cards selected from the groupconsisting of smart cards, payment cards, and third-party reimbursementcards.
 44. The prescription dispensing system as set forth in claim 1further including a webcam, microphone, barcode reader, computer andmonitor for the pharmacy personnel at the remote location for allowingvisual and barcode verification of all barcoded containers, visualverification of the medication, container and labeling, and visual andverbal verification of the patient/customer, physician and writtendocumentation.
 45. A prescription dispensing system comprising: adispensing station for holding an inventory of prescription medications;a secure internet connection to the dispensing station for access by apotential prescription medication recipient, by healthcare personnel ina physician office and by pharmacy personnel at the pharmacydistribution center in a remote location; at least two webcams forvisual and auditory communication between the location of the dispensingstation and the pharmacy personnel via the internet to allowidentification of the correct medication, identification andcommunication with the correct potential prescription medicationrecipient, and visual validation and recording of all documentation fromthe physician's office or potential prescription medication recipient; abiometric reader disposed at the dispensing station for identifying apotential prescription medication recipient, said biometric reader beingconnected via the secure internet connection to the remote location,wherein the dispensing station inventory of prescription medications isheld in a removable module, said module being refillable at a centralpharmacy location.
 46. A prescription dispensing system comprising: adispensing station for holding an inventory of prescription medications;a secure internet connection to the dispensing station for access by apotential prescription medication recipient, by healthcare personnel ina physician office and by pharmacy personnel at the pharmacydistribution center in a remote location; at least two webcams forvisual and auditory communication between the location of the dispensingstation and the pharmacy personnel via the internet to allowidentification of the correct medication, identification andcommunication with the correct potential prescription medicationrecipient, and visual validation and recording of all documentation fromthe physician's office or potential prescription medication recipient; abiometric reader disposed at the dispensing station for identifying apotential prescription medication recipient, said biometric reader beingconnected via the secure internet connection to the remote location,wherein the healthcare personnel introduces the potential prescriptionmedication recipient to the pharmacist via the secure internetconnection, at least one of said webcams being usable by the pharmacistto allow identification of the person at the dispensing station whereinat least one of the webcams is disposed in the physician office for usein transmitting an official copy of the written prescription.